The phrenic nerve supplies motor control to the diaphragm, the primary muscle of breathing. It arises mainly from the fourth cervical nerve, with contributions from the third and fifth, and travels down through the neck and chest to reach the diaphragm. In CMT, respiratory involvement is often the result of the phrenic nerve being affected by the disease process. When the phrenic nerve weakens, the diaphragm can weaken with it, which can cause breathing difficulty.
A Name That Does Too Much Work
Jean-Martin Charcot's name appears throughout medicine, but nowhere does it create more confusion than in the foot. Learn why the CMT foot and Charcot neuroarthropathy, also known as Charcot foot, share a name yet differ in how they develop, appear, and are managed.
